England manager Roy Hodgson revealed on Wednesday that Michael Carrick had
ruled himself out of going to the finals of Euro 2012 because he did not
want to be a squad player.

The Football Association then confirmed that the Manchester United midfielder had told them “a few months” back that at this stage of his career he “did not want to be sitting on the subs’ bench”.

The England manager had caused a surprise by not even including the 30 year-old in his standby list - Liverpool’s Jordan Henderson was selected instead - after naming his 23-man squad on Wednesday.

“I wouldn’t dream of putting Michael Carrick on a standby list after he’s made it clear in the past he doesn’t want to be involved like that,” Hodgson said. “I’d have to be convinced he was better than the four [central midfielders] I’ve selected, and that he’d be happy to come out of retirement.”

The FA immediately clarified that Carrick, who won the last of his 22 caps almost two years ago, had not formally retired but would help England “in extremis”.

Stoke City striker Peter Crouch is also believed to have ruled himself out for the standby list after being told he would not be in the squad, with Andy Carroll ahead of him. Given he has taken the England job only recently, it was understandable that Hodgson’s squad selection was conservative, but he has a decision to make over the fitness of Scott Parker, which could see him turn to Carrick or include Henderson.

The Tottenham midfielder is suffering from an Achilles injury and had an injection to ease the inflammation. It will be known next week whether the injury has responded and Hodgson has until May 29 to make a final decision.

“He hasn’t played because he’s been resting the Achilles injury,” Hodgson said. “It was decided on Monday that he’d have this injection. From what I’m hearing, it won’t be a problem. He’s very confident, I’m confident, but I can’t give a guarantee.”

Despite Henderson’s difficult campaign at Liverpool, Hodgson said of the 21 year-old: “He’s got great potential. His recent matches have been very good in the centre of midfield and, in the future, he’ll play there. He has potential in that area, tremendous athleticism, great box-to-box ability.”

Hodgson named Steven Gerrard as captain and spoke of the midfielder’s deep commitment to his country. “I will be counting on him to help me as much as he can, to build the team unity, and build the type of environment to give us a chance to thrive at this tournament,” he said.

As expected, Hodgson included Arsenal's 18-year-old Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain - who would also have been selected by the previous manager, Fabio Capello, despite not having won a senior cap - and even added that he expected the winger to push for a starting place.

“I wouldn’t have chosen him if I didn’t think he was ready to start games,” he said. “It won’t be easy for him to break into the team given the competition, as we’ve loaded up in the wide areas because [Wayne] Rooney can’t play in the first two matches. But I’ve seen him play in European matches...one of the games where he really sprang to my attention was the Champions League match against Milan He has a maturity beyond his years. Sometimes there has to be a place in the squad for a precocious talent. It’ll help England’s future as well.”

Hodgson explained that Carroll’s “profile” as well as recent form was a reason for his inclusion. “The profile Andy brings interests me very much. The conversation with Kenny Dalglish maybe put my mind at rest with regards to the criticism he’s faced for extra-footballing activities. That was very important for me. It would be fair to say his late burst has maybe given him the nod.”

Hodgson defended the choice of Carroll’s team-mate Stewart Downing while dismissing claims that he had had a difficult relationship with Glen Johnson, his first-choice right-back, during his time at Anfield.

“With Glen, that relates to a question I answered unwisely by answering honestly, which gave the appropriate headline,” Hodgson said.

“As a result, Glen was a bit upset that I hadn’t protected him more than I’d done. The question, quite simply, was: ‘Do you think Glen Johnson is playing for you at the moment like an England international?’ I said he didn’t because he wasn’t playing that well. I paid the price for that honest answer, but I don’t think that’s affected my relationship with him. I certainly hope it hasn’t.”

Norwich City’s John Ruddy has been included as England’s third goalkeeper with Hodgson confirming that the 25 year-old would miss the second warm-up match at home to Belgium because he is due to get married. “When he was told he offered to postpone the wedding, but I suggested it would be dangerous to do that.”